The most common parenting mistakes!!

posted by Jake McBride -
Feb 1, 2017

A family shrink lays out the most common parenting mistakes that are hurting our kids.

As parents, most of us are always trying to do what’s best for our kids. Unfortunately, some of our parenting choices are actually harmful to our children. These are the most common parenting mistakes we’re making, according to a family psychologist.

Giving them too many choices - Some parents think their kids should have endless options, but it can end up just overwhelming the kid instead.

Praising them for everything they do - Now it’s common to see kids who are “almost junkies for praise.” And there won’t always be that payoff.

Trying to make the child happy - You can’t force someone else happy, it’s the kids’ jobs to make themselves happy.

Overindulging them - This tends to lead to the child believing that getting stuff will make them happy and that’s definitely not how life works.

Keeping them too busy - Sports, clubs, lessons and activities can all be great ways to enrich a kid’s life, but doing too much can make the little one feel burned out and unhappy - kind of the opposite of why you got them involved in the first place.

Thinking smart will save them - We all want our kids to be brilliant, but arrogant? Not so much.

Thinking a strict religion will give them perfect values and save them - It’s all fine until they see hypocrisy at home or in their respected church leaders ...then things start to fall apart.

Keeping information about important topics, like sex, from them - Because parents are so scared of having the birds and bees talk, they avoid talking about it and think it’s better for their kids. But 13-year-olds can get pregnant, so it’s not helping anyone to avoid real-life subjects that affect them.

Being hypercritical of the child's mistakes - Wanting your child to be successful is one thing. Expecting perfection with looks, likability, sports, smarts, and more is unrealistic. Mistakes are going to happen and making them feel worthless when they do won’t help.

Using shame, shunning, or threats - It’s never good to make your child feel like you won’t love them because of their actions. There are much better ways to get them to do what you want.